


Waltzing Among The Stars

by miserymire



Category: The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
Genre: AU, Gen, Oneshot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-18
Updated: 2016-05-18
Packaged: 2018-06-09 05:00:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6891217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miserymire/pseuds/miserymire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Link's mother is up in the sky with the stars, and he wants to bring her back down to earth. His chance comes when the Celestial child Ravio crashes his spaceship near his house.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Waltzing Among The Stars

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is inspired by/a crossover with Rosalina's Storybook from Super Mario Galaxy, originally posted on my FF.net account. I decided to post it here too, because I've been wanting to try out this site for awhile to see how I like it.

_"We're here, Papa!"_

_The little boy, still out of breath from running up the hill, plopped down next to a brown patch of dirt that had some newly planted flowers growing out of it. The pine needles of the hill's single tree slightly obstructed his view, but he didn't really care. The thousands of stars above him made him smile widely. His father caught up a few seconds later and lay back as his son did, on the other side of the dirt patch. The boy looked over at his father, about to excitedly tell him what he was thinking, but his heart dropped in his chest._

_"Papa?"_

_"Yes, Son?" his father responded, looking at him._

_The boy turned his head to look back up at the stars, not wanting his dad to see the tears welling up in his eyes. "The stars... They're beautiful tonight..." He choked back the cry that was desperate to escape his throat. "I really wish Mama was here to see them..."_

_His father reached over the dirt patch to lay a hand on his. "You know, Link, Mama is looking at the stars right now."_

_Link once again looked over at his father, with wonder in his glistening eyes. "Really?! How is she looking at them, Papa?"_

_"They're all around her. She's up there in the sky, waltzing among the stars. When you see the stars twinkle, it's because Mama is dancing with them."_

* * *

From then on, it became a tradition for Link to spend his nights under the tree, looking up at the stars. One night, he noticed a star that was twinkling more than any he'd ever seen. It got closer and closer to Earth—a shooting star. His father had told him that shooting stars were presents, sent out by Link's mother to light up his night. Only, this shooting star was different. As it descended closer to Earth, Link realized that it wasn't a shooting star at all. It was a much cooler present that his mother decided to send his way this time. It was a spaceship!

The spaceship's descent to Earth ended with a bang, right in the middle of a forest near the hill. Link quickly ran out into the forest, wanting desperately to meet whatever creature was inside the ship. He eventually found it in a small clearing. Smoke was billowing around it, and Link heard someone cough. Out of the smoke came a young boy. Link gasped. The other boy looked just like Link, but with dark purple hair, purple clothes, and the occasional stretch of soot on his pale skin. His eyes were squeezed shut.

"Are you okay?!" Link asked as he ran up to the boy. Questioning his appearance could come later. "Did that spaceship land on you?!"

"No, the spaceship is," he opened his green eyes, "...mine..."

"That's your spaceship?" Link asked, part excited and part suspicious.

The other boy nodded, staring intently at his doppelganger. "...You look like me."

Link made a ' _pffft_ ' sound. "Obviously. Why focus on us looking alike when you're an __alien__ _?_ That's so cool!"

"I'm called a _Celestial_ ," the boy said.

"Well, I'm called a _Hylian,_ and you're an alien to this planet. What are you doing here?!"

The purple-haired boy quickly looked back at his ship, still lightly letting out puffs of smoke. "I crashed. I didn't mean to come down here."

"My mom didn't send you here to see me?" Link said, frowning.

He shook his head. "I don't know your mom. I was actually out looking for my own..."

Link gasped excitedly. "D-do you think you could take me out on your spaceship with you? We could look for our moms together!"

"Yours isn't here on your planet?"

"No. She's out waltzing among the stars. Please, you have to take me with you so I can find her!"

He grinned and nodded. "I'll help you find your mom!"

Link grinned back and stuck out his hand. "My name's Link, and I'm your new space traveling buddy! What's your name?"

"My name's Ravio!" said he as he shook Link's outstretched hand. "I'll be your new space traveling buddy! ...In the morning, that is. My ship's all broken, if that wasn't already evident. I need some time to fix it. So, you can just go back to your house and get some rest from now. Bring everything you'll wanna take with you when you come back here tomorrow morning! It should be all ready to go by then!"

"Okay! I'll be back! See you in the morning, Ravio!" Link said.

Link ran off back to his house. He jumped into his bed and pulled the covers up in a hurry, wanting the morning to come as soon as possible. He ended up tossing and turning for what felt like hours. He was just so excited that he couldn't sleep, and that said a lot, taking into account his undying love for sleep. Link decided to go ahead and pack his stuff up since he was going to be awake anyways. A telescope, a net, a lamp, some bottles of water, and some bread were among the few things he stuffed into a pouch. He then went over to a desk and scrawled on a piece of paper that he was going out to space to look for his mom, and that his dad shouldn't worry about him. He sat both his pouch and the paper by the door, and retired to his bed. When Link finally fell asleep that night, a smile was on his face. Come the morning light, he was going to dance with his mother.

The sky was still shades of pink when Link clipped his pouch to his belt and ran out his front door. He rushed back into the forest, getting to the clearing in no time. Ravio was rubbing some muck off his spaceship with a rag. The ship was looking much better. Though Link hadn't really gotten to see it before it crashed, he imagined it was back to what it had once looked like.

"I'm back!" Link said.

Ravio jumped, dropping the rag. "Link!" he laughed. He picked the rag back up. "You're really excited to go, aren't cha?"

Link nodded. "I could barely sleep last night!"

"Well, it's a good thing I finished fixing her up nice and early, huh?" Ravio said. "You can go ahead and get in, now!"

Link's heart was beating wildly as he stepped foot into the spaceship. Ravio climbed in after him, tools in hand. He dropped the tools down a cupboard, then sat in the pilot's seat. Link sat down next to him, tapping his fingers on his legs anxiously.

Ravio grinned over at Link. "Ready for takeoff?"

"Ready for takeoff!" Link confirmed.

Ravio pressed a few buttons, and they were off. Link stood up by the window, watching as they slowly got further and further away from the ground. Eventually, he couldn't even make out his house, or the tree on the hill, or any one thing in particular. The world became swirls of white clouds over green and blue.

"I never knew how beautiful Earth was," Link quietly commented. "I can’t believe I spent so much time looking out at the stars when the planet I was on was the most beautiful of all..."

Ravio walked up to Link, looking down at Earth with him. "I've always thought your planet was one of the most beautiful... Back when I was really young, my mom and I would always catch the passing comets, and we'd sit on them looking down at Earth together... That's actually why I was nearby, you know. I thought that maybe she was on a comet passing by Earth, but..."

Link put a comforting hand on Ravio's back. "It's all right, Ravio! We'll find her. And we're gonna find my mom, too! Maybe once we've found them, we can all go down to Earth together! I can show you around!"

"That'd be amazing!" Ravio said.

"You bet it'll be! What about your home planet, Ravio? Could you show me it while we're out here?" Link asked.

"I don't have a home planet. I was born on a comet. It already burned out by now, so I can't show you it," Ravio said. Link let out an aw, disappointed. "It's okay! There are plenty of other comets!"

"But doesn't that make you sad? I can't imagine how I'd feel if Earth burned out..."

Ravio shrugged. "It's just a way of life for Celestials. Actually, we think it's really sad that you Hylians spend your whole lives on one planet."

Link thought about it for a few moments. "I guess it is kinda sad... But, well, not all Hylians spend our whole lives on one planet."

Ravio cocked his head. "What Hylians don't?"

"Me!" Link said.

Ravio laughed, and Link started to laugh with him. "I should have seen that one coming," Ravio said through his giggles.

Once they had gotten all of their laughter out, Link looked back through the window. They were much further away from Earth now, and stars were surrounding them. "So, do you think we'll find our moms from just looking out this window as we pass by the stars?"

"Well, we _could_ always do this..."

Ravio went to the control panel, pressed some buttons, and the ship stopped moving. He went back over to Link and got down on his knees, and before Link could ask what he was doing, Ravio pushed up the window. Link rushed backwards, squeezed his eyes shut, and held his hand over his mouth.

"Ravio, that's _outer space!_ " Link shouted. "I-I can't—I'll—it's—!"

"Link, just open your eyes! You'll be fine!"

Link peeked his eyes open, and what he saw made them open wide. Ravio was _outside_ of the ship! The floating boy laughed, but Link didn't think it was funny at all.

"Get back in here, now!" Link said. "I don't care if you're a ' _space person_ ,' you can't—!"

"I _can_ ," Ravio said in a sing-song tone. "Assuming you were going to say I can't breathe or survive out here, that is. You can too, Link! If you really couldn't survive in space, then you would have died the second I opened the window. Come out here with me!"

Link slowly walked up to the window. Ravio held his hand out. Link gulped before taking it. With a gentle tug on Ravio's part, Link came right out of the ship. Link's face was contorted in worry for a few moments, but he quickly decided that he liked being out with the stars, completely unaffected by gravity. He felt free as a bird, but more importantly, he felt closer to his mom than ever.

* * *

"I didn't think we'd be out here so long..." Link said.

Ravio's eyebrows furrowed together. "It's only been about a week in Earth days. Besides, I thought you liked it out here!"

"I love it!" Link quickly said. "It's just... I thought that..."

"That what?" Ravio said, prompting Link to continue his unfinished sentence.

"I thought we would have found my mom by now..." he quietly said as he stared out the window. "I don't get it. She's supposed to be out here, so where is she?"

"Link, space is _huge_. Ridiculously huge. I haven't even seen five percent of it, and I've been out here my whole life."

Link sighed and drew his knees up to his chest. "We're never going to find her..."

"Oh, come on, Link!" Ravio said, scooting next to him. "Don't be so hopeless. It might take days, it might take weeks, heck, it might even take __years__ , but we won't stop until we've found your mom."

"But my dad is still down on Earth! I can't just leave him for years! He'll be mad! And I'm _starving!_ I'm all out of food!"

"What would you rather; going home to your dad after a week, _without_ your mom, or going home to your dad after a year, _with_ your mom? I don't think he could be mad at you if you brought her back." Ravio stood up, stopped the ship, and opened the window. "Link, get up! We're near an asteroid!"

Link stood as Ravio grabbed a mallet and chisel from one of the ship's cupboards. Holding them both in one hand, Ravio used his free one to grab Link's hand and pulled him out through the window onto the asteroid.

"What's the mallet and chisel for?" Link asked.

Ravio smiled and got down on his knees. "You'll see!"

Link got down on his knees next to him, and Ravio started to chisel away at the surface of the asteroid. Little colorful bits became visible after a few layers had been chipped away. Ravio continued to dig until hundreds of the colorful things were completely exposed.

"What are they?" Link asked as he picked one of them up.

"They're called starbits. We Celestials mine them from asteroids and comets and eat them." Ravio tossed one in his mouth and hummed in joy. "Try it!"

Link quickly licked the starbit in his hand, wanting to get a taste of it before actually eating it. He was pleasantly surprised by the taste, and promptly threw it into his mouth. "Delicious! It tastes like honey!"

"I don't know what honey is, but I'm glad you Hylians at least have something like starbits to eat! Come on, pick up as many as you can and take them back inside my ship! We'll have food for weeks!"

* * *

Without them constantly orbiting around the sun to properly experience days and nights, Link and Ravio ended up losing track of how much time they had spent together in space. However, judging by how much they'd grown and the feeling in his gut, Link was certain it had been at least two years. Still, there had been no sign of either of their mothers anywhere, or anybody else for the matter.

"Ravio, where are the rest of the Celestials?" asked Link one day. "We've been out here for two years, constantly searching the skies, but you're the only Celestial I've ever seen. Do you guys normally hibernate for years or something?"

Ravio shook his head. "Like I told you, Link, space is huge. There are others like me out here, they're just a long ways away."

"Don't you think we should have passed even just _one_ by now?" Link asked, not satisfied by Ravio's answer.

"We _have_ passed by other Celestials."

"When? The only things I've ever seen outside have been stars, planets, asteroids, comets, and starbits. Not one single person."

"That's because we Celestials don't stay people forever," Ravio said. "We Celestials all share the same destiny; to transform into something else. Some of those planets and stars and comets we've passed by... They used to be people."

"Are you going to become one of those things eventually?" Link asked. He felt his chest tighten at the thought of it. He didn't want to lose his best friend.

"Eventually," Ravio said.

"Oh," Link whispered. "...I'll be really sad when you do."

Ravio threw himself at Link, embracing him tightly. "It'll be okay, Link. I won't do it until after we've found your mom and dropped you back off on Earth... You won't have me anymore, but you'll have both of your parents. That's all you ever wanted, isn't it?"

Link sighed. "I used to think that's all I wanted... But now that I know you, I wish I could have all three of you forever."

* * *

Another year, or at least what felt like another year, passed by, still with no sign of Link or Ravio's moms. Link was going through his pouch when he came across the telescope he had packed in there. Not once on his journey across the universe had he ever used it, but he decided today would be the day he did. He pressed the end up against the window and looked through it.

He didn't see his mom, but what he did see was a planet with white swirls over blue and green. Earth. His home. The planet he hadn't set foot on in three years was a small dot through a telescope already zoomed in hundreds of times over. Link zoomed it in further until he saw a lone tree on a hill.

Link immediately knew that he wasn't seeing just any hill with a tree on it. No, that was the hill that he used to spend every night stargazing on until he fell asleep. It was the hill he used to sled down in the winter. It was the hill he used to have picnics on with his parents. It was the hill he had planted flowers on in front of the tree.

He started to cry.

Ravio rushed over to him. "Link! Wh-what's wrong, what's happening?! Water's coming out of your eyes!"

"Th-they're called t-tears," Link sobbed, his voice high pitched with emotion. "I-I'm crying. Ha-haven't you ever c-cried?"

"No... That must be a Hylian thing." Ravio pulled Link into a hug. "Why are you crying?"

"I'm sad," Link cried into Ravio's shirt.

"I could tell that much," Ravio said. "But why are you sad?"

"Because my mom isn't out there waltzing among the stars! I knew it all along! B-because...!" Link gasped for breath. "She's sleeping under the tree on the hill!"

Ravio didn't know what to say at first, and only hugged Link tighter. "It's okay," was what he ended up settling with.

"No, it's n-not okay!" Link cried. "She's dead!"

Ravio sighed. "You know what, Link? She may not be alive, and she may not be out here, but she's been with you all this time."

Link sniffled. "No sh-she hasn't been! The only time she was w-with me was when I fell asleep next to where she was b-buried!"

"Physically, sure... But she's a part of you. She's always with you, right there in your heart."

Link didn't object to Ravio's statement. He clung closer to his shirt and continued to cry as Ravio rubbed consoling circles on his back.

"A-all this time we've spent looking..." Link said after a while. "Our whole journey... It was w-worthless... __I want to go home!__ "

"Our journey wasn't worthless," Ravio gently said.

"It was," Link whined. "She wasn't out here..."

"That doesn't mean it was worthless... Our journey had a lot of worth. You got to see things no other Hylian has ever seen... We got to become best friends... And it helped me find my destiny."

Link looked up, his eyes red and cheeks stained. "W-what do you mean? How'd it help you find your destiny?"

"Don't you remember what I told you about us Celestials? It's our destiny to transform into something else... I know now what I'm going to transform into."

"What?" Link asked.

Ravio smiled. "I'm going to transform into a comet that'll take you home."

"No!" Link yelled. "No, no! Don't, Ravio, please! You can't! We have your spaceship! Just turn it around!"

"It'll take another three years to get you home on this ship. If I transform into a comet, I can get you back home in a few hours."

Link started to cry harder. "I-I don't care if it'll take another three years! I can't... I can't... I can't lose you, too!"

"You knew we couldn't stay together forever," Ravio said.

"B-but I didn't think you'd transform so soon! And what about your mom? You were looking for her! I-if you transform now, you'll never find her!"

"Link... Do you remember that beautiful blue comet we saw about a year ago?"

Link gasped when he realized what Ravio was saying. "That ... was your mom?"

Ravio nodded and looked away sheepishly. "I never told you because I didn't want you to be jealous that I found my mom and you didn't..." He looked back at Link and smiled. "Once I transform into a comet, I can go be with her."

"But... I'll miss you," Link whimpered.

Ravio placed both hands on either side of Link's face and wiped away his tears with his thumbs. "I'll miss you, too, but you know what? We really will always be together, because I'm a part of you now. I'm in your heart, just like your mom is. And if me being in your heart is ever not enough... Go out to your hill at night and look up at the stars, just like you used to do. Okay?"

Link nodded, and Ravio helped him to his feet. They stood hugging each other, Link crying into the crook of Ravio's neck. Link hugged Ravio so tightly that the boy could barely breathe, but Ravio said nothing of it. Ravio gently pulled away after a few minutes. Link's eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

"Ravio! You're crying! How?"

Ravio gently touched his cheek, and looked at the drop of water that transferred over to his finger. He laughed and grabbed Link's hands. "Who knows? Maybe some of your Hylian-ness rubbed off on me."

"So... This is it," Link said, the words barely getting past his quivering lip.

"This is it," Ravio repeated. "Let's do this outside... I don't think my ship would appreciate me transforming into a comet inside of it."

Link was silent as Ravio lifted the window to his spaceship for the last time. They got out together, and Ravio used the ship to kick himself a bit further away.

"After I transform, just grab onto me, okay? Hold on as tight as you can. I'll stop when we get above your planet, and you can climb down," Ravio said. He sighed. "It's been an amazing three years with you, Link. I can't thank you enough for all the happiness you've brought me. I hope with all of my heart that you can find something or somebody that makes you just as happy back on your planet. And I hope... I hope that maybe, someday, you can join me again up here with the stars."

Ravio closed his eyes, and a heavenly golden light surrounded his body. The light became brighter and brighter until it was all Link could see. When the light faded and Link regained his vision, the Ravio he had come to love was no longer in front of him. A purple comet was in his place.

Just like Ravio had done, Link used the spaceship to kick himself further out, until he could reach the comet. As soon as Link grabbed it, the comet took off. He closed his teary eyes and rested his head against it, holding onto it for dear life.

* * *

Hours later, the comet stopped just above the ground, in the clearing that Link and Ravio had met in.

"You didn't give me the chance to thank you, Ravio... I don't know if you can hear me now, but ... thank you. You were the best space traveling buddy and best friend I could have ever asked for. ...I hope for the same thing as you. I hope someday I can join you again."

Link climbed off the comet. "Goodbye, Ravio," he choked out.

The comet blasted back off into space, leaving Link alone. He hung his head and started his walk back to his house through the forest. He was emotionally drained, and longed to collapse in his bed and sleep for hours upon hours. He couldn't imagine actually being able to sleep in much, though. He knew that the second his dad saw him asleep in his bed, he would be woken up.

Though he was tired, Link decided to stop by the hill. He was surprised when he found his father sitting next to the flower patch.

" _Link!_ " his father yelled.

He ran over and pulled Link into a tight hug. He cried as he held his son. Link hadn't really stopped crying over the past few hours, but he cried harder than he had been a few moments ago in his father's arms.

" _Papa_ ," Link said. "You're not mad at me?"

"I'm so happy to see you again that I couldn't be mad right now," he said through his sobs. "I just want to know _where_ , Link. Where _were_ you?"

Link didn't think that his father would believe the truth, but he told it anyways. "I said in my letter that I was going to look for Mom in space... I did. I know you probably won't believe me, but I was out there, Dad."

His dad pulled away enough to stare into his eyes. "...I believe you. I can tell by your eyes that you're not lying."

Link smiled and hugged his dad closer again. "I was really worried that you wouldn't believe me."

"So...?"

"So what?"

"How did looking for your mom go?"

Link sighed contently. "I found her. She wasn't waltzing among the stars. She was in my heart all along."

The two quieted then, simply enjoying their embrace and each other's presence. Link looked up into the starry sky over his father's shoulder, and he smiled.

A blue and purple comet were soaring by.


End file.
